NCAA Week 3 College Football Thread

USC coeds>Penn State coeds

 

Doug Williams unceremoniously fired as Grambling head coach:

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20130911/SPORTS/130911002?nclick_check=1

 

Pretty harsh. Sure, they were blown out by UL-Monroe, but the SWAC may be the worst conference in Division I college football. I added it up and my quick, unofficial math is they are 1-11 as a league in non-conference games and the average margin in the 11 losses is around 32 points. They have lost to some FBS schools, but they also have two losses to D-IIs (Tuskegee and Delta State). The one SWAC out-of-conferenc win was by Alcorn State over Edward Waters College, an NAIA team.

If they want to blame anything for the dismal state of that program and that conference, blame the Bayou Classic. The FCS has a post season and while it's not a money maker, when you are recruiting players who are generally getting looks at the FCS level, most will want a chance to play in a meaningful post-season.

The SWAC does not and the quality of the programs has suffered. It's clearly a couple of notches below the other FCS HBCU conference, the MEAC, which does send teams to the playoffs.

 

All that is true, but Abbott is correct, too. Anytime a white reporter/fan criticizes a black player, they get labeled racist. But it seems fair game to criticize white players all day for the same reasons.

But, Manziel is just a punk who led his success go to his head. I hope Heisman voters remember all this next time they cast ballots for the silly thing.

 

The quality of coaching in the SWAC has also plummeted. There aren't any Marino Casems or W.C. Gordens plying their trade in the SWAC any more. When a run-of-the-mill white assistant like Jay Hopson is the best hire Alcorn State can come up with, you know it's gotten bad.

 

I think that ties into the non-participation in the post-season as well. Winning the SWAC won't get you much notice. Neither, for that matter, will winning the Southland or Southern. What tends to get FCS coaches noticed is winning in the post-season like a Jim Tressel, a fairly long list of Montana coaches, Paul Wulff (former Washington State coach from Eastern Washington), Paul Johnson, Mike London and several others.

One may argue against the wisdom of hiring a guy who who wins at the FCS level for a big-time program, but you can't argue that from a coaches' perspective, regular-season success in the FCS gets you little. Post season success gets you paid. So why coach in a conference where there's nothing beyond the regular season besides a conference championship game?

 

I read that USC had more than two dozen prospects at its game last Saturday, so it ended up being a good recruiting trip for WAZZU.

 

A mere 10 hours until the fucking frogs from the Fort get peter-slapped all over Lubbock.

Guns up, bitches.

 

The 3 bets for ye olde chef this weekend.....

Took Under 71 on Tennessee @ Oregon
Took Fresno State (-10) @ Colorado
Took Tulsa (+24) @ Oklahoma

 

Tulsa is laying 24 at Oklahoma?

 

Fixed.

Getting 24.

 

I'd take the over on Oregon -- Ducks put up at least 66
Fresno State might win but Colorado covers 10
Should be the week Okie puts up at least 50 so +24 should be safe

Some other ones I saw from our pick 'em league ...

Tonight: Boise 23.5 at home against Air Force, which gave up a ton at home against Utah State

Saturday ...

Indiana -3 at home against Bowling Green
Stanford 28.5 at Army
This should be the week USC is pissed enough to score so I'd take lay the 14 at home against BC (but I still won't touch it)
Illinois getting 10 at home against Washington? Washington is much better but not 10-on-the-road better against an Illini team that just showed it can score a lot of points at home.